Different
by hiddeninthelibrary
Summary: College AU. It's the End-of-High-School Party, and it's compulsory to attend, but Lucy just doesn't want to go. I mean, who would, if you're one of the least popular people in high school? What couldn't possibly go wrong?


**A/N: Hi there! I've been a Lockwood and Co fangirl since forever, and I finally got a fanfic account. This is my first oneshot, so it isn't great. But tell me how it is! Oh, and please review. :)**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Jonathan Stroud. If I was, I would've owned Lockwood and Co. But I'm not, so I don't. **

"Ya look..."

"I know, I look _stupid," _she said, staring at the mirror. "I've never been one for parties, you _know _that,"

"'_I never been'un for parties,'" _her friend mimicked. "I was going to say, _ya look perfect."_

"Perfectly clownish."

"Do clowns wear gowns? No, they don't. An' I thought you were smart."

The girl huffed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Flo thought she was pretty, but she felt the opposite. Her brown bob, as usual, was messy. The gown's sleeves sagged off her arms, like the sleeves of a kimono. The dress flowed around her legs, and she doubted she would be able to walk without tripping over its tresses. Movement was made doubly hard because of the fact that she was wearing high heels. They made a _clickety-clack _as she walked. To her, the sound was infuriating. More so was the thick eyeliner and rogue on her face, contrasting against her pale complexion. Her lips, coated with pink lipstick, were pursed in disapproval. Her brown eyes, shaded with blue eyeshadow, were filled with disdain.

"I look like a _girl," _Lucy said disdainfully.

"Who'd 'ave thought it?" Flo remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's go already, I want to get it over with."

Groaning, she carefully placed one foot ahead of her, then the other, trying not to fall. She felt wobbly, like this was her first time wearing roller skates.

Flo looked fine; she seemed to care more about Lucy's looks than her own. She wore simple black flats with a black knee-length cocktail dress that clung to her figure. Her face was devoid of any makeup, save for powder and mascara.

"These parties should be made optional," Lucy muttered, walking a bit faster.

Flo was Lucy's best friend- no, her _only _friend. But only five months earlier, she used to be rather popular. She had come from a different high school, and was so good at hockey that she was in the team. Lucy had quickly befriended all its members, and they had instantly bonded. That was before.

After the incident, she had switched schools because she just couldn't take it anymore. But even switching schools didn't help; the horrible accident had scarred her. Lucy became an introvert, barely speaking. For the first month at school, she'd been bullied, before Flo, a complete stranger to her at that time, had spoken up for her and saved her skin. She'd stuck with Lucy, being her best friend- in the rough, insulting, snarky sort of way. She'd been her only company.

Lucy was fine with that.

She was _not, _however, fine with her taste in clothing.

"You dress like a ragamuffin half the time, and suddenly you go buying us celebrity-worthy clothes," she complained as they trudged down the street to the party hall, two blocks away. "Where did you get the money for this?"

"Saw it lyin' on the pavement," Flo replied gruffly. "Or didn't. Might've _accidentally _put my hand in someone's pocket."

Lucy rolled her eyes. The first time Flo had done something illegal, she'd been shocked, but eventually she'd gotten used to it. The only problem was if Flo got caught, which so far, she hadn't.

After many more minutes of terse silence and robotic walking, loud music reached their ears, accompanied by a hundred disco lights flashing everywhere.

"If the Plastics are here, I swear I'll turn on my heel and run," Lucy muttered.

"Not on my watch," Flo warned. "I paid an 'undred for that dress, 'kay? You'd better find some use for it."

The 'Plastics' as Lucy had dubbed them- a giggly gang of teenage girls, all hyped about latest trends, who gossiped twenty-four on seven about other students, teachers, and of course, fashion magazines. In other words, fake, flimsy, fragile, and... Plastic. They were coincidentally also the ones who had bullied Lucy.

Lucy and Flo walked inside the huge hall and were greeted by a blast of music. Lucy was relieved that her gown didn't sweep the ground like so many of the others at the party- she'd probably trip over it, or people would tread on it(maybe by accident, maybe just for kicks).

Lucy scanned the crowd and was relieved to find the Plastics at the far end of the room, near the Chocolate Fountain. Flo was still right behind her, and suddenly whispered in her ear, making her jump.

"Why don't we try making some friends?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "This is an end of high school party," she hissed. "Only half of these people are coming to the same college we are."

"And I think it'd do us _good_ in college," Flo retorted.

Lucy's mouth turned into a thin line. "I'm not good at socializing."

"Well, today, ya'll have to be." Flo pulled her arm.

They wove through the sea of people and found themselves a less crowded spot to talk. Lucy grabbed a raspberry punch from the nearest table and casually took a sip. It was oversweet, making her grimace at the taste. She lowered the glass.

"Let's see...who first?" asked Flo.

"Her?" Lucy pointed at a tall, lanky girl.

"Ugh, no. Was one of the Plastics. We resulted in 'er being kicked out."

"That's a definite no, then. Remind me how we did that. Later. Him?" She pointed to a lonely, angry-looking fellow, his nose crooked.

"He bullied me in the eight grade," Flo said sourly.

"Not anymore?"

"Why'd ya think his nose is broken?"

Lucy decided to leave it at that. "How about...Oh, no."

"What?"

The Plastics were heading their way.

They were headed by their prissy leader, Kat Godwin, a smirk plastered on her white face. She had extremely high cheekbones and an overlong chin, making her look like some crooked witch. Today she'd streaked her blonde hair with black and brown, giving one the impression that she'd waded through a swamp.

Lucy immediately turned to leave, Flo right next to her, when she heard Godwin's annoying, prissy voice.

"_NOT _so fast, Carlyle! You aren't running away from a fight, are you?"

Lucy gritted her teeth as she turned around. "I'm not looking for a fight, Godwin. I thought Flo taught you not to mess with us already...but it seems to me that you've got the intelligence range of a teaspoon."

Kat's smirk flickered for a second. "Hun, you don't want to make enemies in high school already, would you? You've got only one friend, as it is."

If she had tried to make Lucy angry, she succeeded. "I don't think you're very clever, are you? I asked you to _leave us alone!_" Her voice rose suddenly, causing all the people around them to turn and stare.

"There's nothing I'd like to do better, but I'd like to have some fun first," she gave a broad grin. "Nobody wants to do anything _but _leave you alone. Look at you! You're almost tripping in your high heels, and that gown is too _pretty _for you. But my dress, it's _purrfect._"

Lucy looked down at her feet in mock surprise. _"My dress?" _she said mockingly. She tilted her arm, as if trying to get a better look of the floor, and the glass of punch in her hand tilted also. A waterfall of red liquid splashed onto Kat's pristine white dress, making her shriek and jump back. There was a ripple of laughter through the watching crowd.

"You- you!" she nearly screamed. "Do you know how much this _cost?"_

"Not enough," Flo said disapprovingly. "What was in tha' punch, mate?"

"Tasted like red dye and rose milk. Is that washable?"

"According to my knowledge, no."

Kat glared up at them. "I don't know why your parents do so much for you," she retaliated. "They're paying too much for you. I don't know whether they bought you this dress! It looks like it's stolen. It most probably is. I feel really, _really _sorry for your poor mum and dad."

Everything seemed to suspend in that moment- Lucy could hear her own heartbeat. She stared at Godwin.

"Don't you dare talk about my parents," she said in a deadly calm tone, then raised her voice. "_Parent. _My father's_ dead_. And you have no idea what I'm going through, you hypocrite."

Kat looked shocked for a moment, and was unable to speak. Suddenly, the boy next to her laughed. His hair was shocking orange-red. He was shorter than Lucy, but seemed to have ten times her ego.

"I'm very sorry about your loss," he said. "Not. You're just begging for attention."

Flo put on a mock polite look. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "What's the name? Carrot Kitten, ain't it?"

Somebody from the crowd laughed, and the four of them turned to see who it was.

A tall teenager, his brown hair swept back, grinned at them. His dark eyes twinkled in amusement. "Sorry, Quill," he said. "But that was too funny."

"Anthony _Lockwood," _The carrot-head snarled, emphasizing on the _Lockwood_. "And I thought your childishness had died down. I'm sorry to say I was wrong."

"Be a sport! Sometimes I think you don't have a sense of humor," he paused. "Oh, wait. You don't."

The crowd laughed again. "Be careful about what you say, _Tony," _snarled the fellow.

The boy, Anthony Lockwood, visibly stiffened. His dark eyes glittered. He was about to open his mouth to speak, when Lucy intervened.

"You know, Gingerbrain," she started, causing the crowd to rumble with laughter, "The difference between you and us is that we don't pick off the emotions of other people. We don't hurt people using facts against them. We don't-" Her eyes flicked to Kat, "-follow the latest fashions like our lives depend on it. We're human. We tell the truth, and we don't try to fit in, or tease, or gossip. If you attempt to bully us for no reason, because you think you're cooler, or you just want somebody to pick on, then you're really just a coward." She cleared her throat, and acted as though she was giving a Graduation Speech. "I hope you're all satisfied with what you've done. It's been a lovely year. Thank you and I hope you fulfill all your dreams." She looked at Kat and the Carrot. "Not."

Then Lucy turned and walked away, expecting to hear jeers and taunting laughter in her direction.

None came.

Instead, one by one, everyone in the hall began to clap.

Lucy spun around, the sound of the applause new to her. She'd never expected that such a large group of people would be giving an ovation... For her.

She nearly flushed with pride, but unlike most girls her age, she didn't.

Because Lucy Carlyle was one of a kind; she didn't follow the newest trends, or try to fit in, or wear designer clothes or makeup; and she most certainly didn't blush.

It was eleven o' clock already, but Lucy and Flo showed no signs of leaving. Over the past hour, people had congratulated them, wished them good luck for college, and had praised them for standing up to the Plastics, who had suddenly gone from one of the most popular gangs to the least favorite gossipers. Exhausted, but happy, Lucy leaned against a pillar, sipping a mocktail, which tasted much better than the punch. Flo chatted with her new friends a few yards away.

"That was some courage," said a voice next to her.

She turned her head to find that same dark-haired boy who'd talked back to Carroty. She grinned toothily at him. "Thanks. It was the first time I've stood up to myself. It...felt good."

He stood next to her. "Mind if I join?"

"Not at all."

They stood there, Lucy still drinking. She stared at the glitzy disco ball hanging overhead.

"What's his name, anyway?" she pointed to a very disgruntled ginger-haired boy sitting in a chair nearby.

"Quill Kipps," said the boy with dislike. "We've been enemies since childhood," he muttered disapprovingly.

"Childhood enemies, eh?" She cleared her throat nervously. "So, um, I never got your name."

"Oh, where are my manners." he extended his arm. "Anthony Lockwood. And you are?"

"Lucy Carlyle." she shook it.

He paused, leaning against the wall casually. "You're the new girl, right?"

She smiled. "If you can call five months new."

"Yes...you appeared quite suddenly, at the end of high school. Quite unorthodox."

Lucy's smile faded as she remembered. "Yeah. I wanted to leave my past behind."

Leave her past behind.

Leave the ghosts of Paul, Norrie, Julie, Steph and Alfie-Joe behind.

It was that unfortunate day when she fell sick, and couldn't go with her friends to the movie they'd been planning to watch for days.

That unfortunate day, when she'd told them to carry on without her, despite their protests that they could postpone the movie to another day, but she was too stubborn to listen.

When they'd decided to take the bus to the theater.

When the bus driver was drunk.

And she'd woken the next day, happy and shining and well, excited to see them in school, and reading the newspapers.

And her hands going slack as it fell to the ground.

As all her friends' names were printed along with the twelve other deceased.

The bus driver, Jacobs, in his drunken state, had rammed into another bus at full speed.

Killing seventeen and injuring five, including himself.

He'd been arrested afterwards. But that wasn't enough.

It so definitely wasn't enough.

He'd killed her five best friends.

And she blamed herself.

Why couldn't they have gone for it another day?

Why didn't she allow them to postpone the plan?

Why couldn't she have kept her fat mouth shut?

She had to switch schools or she'd go insane. So she did.

And her life had just unraveled from there.

"Well, the past is in the past," said Anthony Lockwood. He glanced down at her, and his eyes widened to find tears in her eyes.

"Sorry," she choked. "My dad. He was walking carelessly along the train tracks. He didn't notice the train..." she trailed off.

It was a lie.

Her father _had _died on the railroads, the exact same way as she'd stated it.

But she was not crying for him.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," said Anthony, "You've got a new life now, and everyone looks up to you for standing up to those idiots." He wrinkled his nose. "And I've got a pretty messed-up life too."

Lucy nodded, giving a weak smile, and dried her tears.

Everything was alright, for now.

She'd got Flo, and _maybe_ even Anthony Lockwood.

People looked up to her.

The party hadn't been such a flop.

The Plastics would never irritate her again.

The pain was over.

Everything was alright.

For now.

**A/N: So, yeah. Tell me how it is in a review or PM or something! Is it too cliche? Too boring? I don't think it's great, but I hope you enjoyed anyhow. :)**

**-Artemis**


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